FWB Sport 124

[HarryPotter]

Got mine 5 moths ago from a friends father who had owned it since new.

It's a MK1 Deluxe, I am still awaiting FWB to confirm it's age.

When I got the rifle it came with a period Optima 4X32 scope, simple but optically good.

First plinking foray with it was unusual, the rifle was, well, fairly viscious to fire but had a certain unusual charm, so much so that I went ahead with the deal (it was a try it thing first).

Time for a Mongoose kit (and I love tuning springers) from Maccari, took 3 days to arrive, very quick and quite cheap. I went for Maccari because of price, and the fact that Chambers don't offer a kit and Venom would only Stage 1 it in house.

For my money I got a new spring and piston washer (of a modified design - allegedly). Stripped the gun and found typically FWB build quality, utterly flawless. The piston had a radius (at the rear) 0.05mm smaller then the inside of the compression tube, amazing after more than 25 years!

I tuned it up old style (polished the inside of the tube, polished and reshaped the piston, had a few guides custom made for the spring - cheers Redcatfishjack & UK Neil, drank a can of Tesco value dutch lager to provide the steel for a piston liner and dri slided what was needed). Put it all back together, heavy tarred the spring, moly greased the other bits etc and the realised I would need a spring compressor (rather than the huge clamp I used to get it apart). 1 hour later I have a spring compressor knocked up and together went the gun.

Stripped the French polish off the stock, danish oiled it. Had UK Neil knock up a cocking aid for the end of the barrel (to protect the only mark the finish had). and hey presto - one rebuilt Sport.

500 pellets later and it is amazing to shoot, very smooth, no twang and I can see the pellet flight every time, I have never done that with any springer before.

The trigger isn't a rekord but it is perfectly functional, the barrel lock up is very positive and the gun is wonderful, full power, light weight (7lbs) and very accurate (ragged 1 hole groups at 35 yards). The gun likes JSB 4.53's and is now a keeper. I am tempted by the Maccari tyrolean stock though, but I am skint.

In short, it's the best break barrel springer I have ever come across bar non. hugely recommended, if you can find one for sale.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/umbongo123/sport2.jpg

[Andy.I]

I think, from your photo, that yours could actually be a Mk2 because it has a rubber butt pad, unless of course this has been retro-fitted. I seem to remember that there was a transition period between the Mk1 and the Mk2 where they were fitted with the plastic rearsight but the metal foresight, and both the grip plate and the butt plate were plastic. I suppose that if you still had the original foresight you could identify it exactly. :)

I have had a soft spot for these rifles since I had my first one around 30 years ago, I've owned another three since, and I currently own a Mk2 127 which has had the raised dovetail edges for the foresight crudely ground away, presumably in an attempt to fit a silencer, so I can't go back to open sights.

One almost standard modification used to be the remove the choke by counterboring the muzzle, which increased velocity without deterring from accuracy when using either H&N wadcutters of RWS Hobby. Another successful modification was to make a heavier piston, which really made them sing. In this day and age where we have to be careful with KE, I'd be interested to know whether anybody has attempted to physicaly shorten their barrel and fit a decent silencer because I'd like to do the same to mine, just to work around this cosmetic blemish.

The high spring preload leads means you can gain a significant improvement to repeatability by fitting a needle-roller thrust washer between a pair of flat races behind the spring. This makes cocking super-smooth and repeatability around +/- 10FPS if my memory isn't faulty (or indeed the chrono I owned at that time). ;)

Somebody told me a while back that Maccari did a trigger modification which allows you to adjust the trigger weight. Do you know anything about this? I'd love to try it.

I've never owned a TX200, so I wouldn't claim that the FWB Sport is the finest springer, but IMO it's equal to an SLR98 and one will cost you a lot less. Thank you for posting your review. You've got a classic air rifle, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed mine. :)

[Jon Budd]

What's the std. barrel length guys ? Want to check if mines been shortened already, but as a silencer is currently fitted, it's not obvious ...

Great guns, nothing like it really now - hw95 is closest I guess, but heavier.

[HarryPotter]

Thanks for the heads up Andy, I say it's a MK1 as it was what I was told and I don't have any evidence to the contrary. The rearsight is metal and the front sight is a replacement (so it's metal). the trigger is plastic though.

My barrel doesn't have dovetails, it has the groove across it.

I can't answer any of the other tips you raised, but they have got me thinking...

I do prefer it to a TX, but the TX isn't a break barrel so it's not fair to compare (IMO).

My barrel is 16" from the breach to the muzzle.

[dazmorg]

I'm a massive fan. I enjoyed my 124 so much I went out and bought a 127 to match. Both Mark 2's and the 124 is a very early Mark 2.
I find them extremely accurate and fun to shoot, though both require concentration to be really accurate. Both mine are fitted with Hawke Reflex 6 x 42's which seem to compliment them well.
These are two guns I'm hanging on to.
Daz

[OLD JUD]

What's the std. barrel length guys ? Want to check if mines been shortened already, but as a silencer is currently fitted, it's not obvious ....

18.3 inches m8. :)

[Jon Budd]

Thanks all :)

[Andy.I]

Thanks for the heads up Andy, I say it's a MK1 as it was what I was told and I don't have any evidence to the contrary. The rearsight is metal and the front sight is a replacement (so it's metal). the trigger is plastic though.

My barrel doesn't have dovetails, it has the groove across it.

I can't answer any of the other tips you raised, but they have got me thinking...

I do prefer it to a TX, but the TX isn't a break barrel so it's not fair to compare (IMO).

My barrel is 16" from the breach to the muzzle.
My barrel is 18.3". Is your barrel really 16" in total length, as opposed to 16" from the end of the breech block to the muzzle?

I vaguely remember--didn't the Mk2 have a blacked cast alloy foresight with interchangeable elements, and was held by a crosspin which located in a rounded groove running across the barrel? If it did, could this be what you have, and it is indeed a Mk2?

The plastic trigger confuses the issue though. What serial number is it? Not that this question will solve anything because I've just realised that mine had foresight dovetails!

[snipperuk]

i dusted off me 127 sport (http://www.snipperuk.plus.com/fwb1.jpg) the other night as me father wanted a rabbit skin for a dog training dummy.i got a great head shot at 41yrds free standing with rws hollow points ...stone dead .... tasted good too :) all standard untouched(apart from the wood has been stripped) and tested at 11.8ftlb.......

[I. J.]

I think the FWB Sport is an excellent rifle and have a couple in my collection. A Beeman (http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/9262/beeman46gc.jpg) stocked one and a more traditional, but left handed Venom tuned one.
The Beeman one is fitted with Apel quick detachable mounts (and Beeman Blue Ribbon 2-7x32 scope) and was a limited edition brought into this country by Manchester Air Guns in the 1980's. FWB also produced a model 121 for the German market. Ive only ever seen one and its distinctive in that it has no butt plate fitted. Very rare is the .20 version!
Personally I feel the rifle is on a par with the HW80/95 but only lost out on popularity during the power craze and due to increasing its purchase price. The Mk3 with its 'Dan Dare' muzzle weight and (to me) oddly shaped stock finally brought about its demise.
Airgun World recently did a test on this rifle in its Collectors section. They are becoming rare in good condition.

HTH
Ian :)

Anorak Fact for you: the model 124 and 127 had different back sights. The 124's was marked '1 - 2 - 4' and the 127's '1 - 2 - 5' :p